This week, I’ve been paying closer attention to how I talk about LLMs.
One change I’ve made: I stopped using product names or referring to them like they’re people. Instead of saying something like “ChatGPT suggested…”, I just say ‘an LLM’, as in: “I consulted an LLM” or “This is from an LLM.” It’s a tool, not a person. And once I start treating it like a person, I start assigning it human traits—like assuming it won’t make mistakes.
That shift came into focus during a conversation with a friend, who’s also an engineer. I mentioned that a code snippet from an LLM had a bug, and caught myself feeling oddly surprised. My coworker joked, “Don’t you introduce bugs too?” That snapped it into place—I’d let some unconscious expectations creep in.
I also started changing how I write about LLMs. Saying “This is what an LLM produced” or “Here’s a suggestion from an LLM” helps me keep the right level of distance. It reminds me that I’m still the one responsible for what goes in, what comes out, and how it’s used. The tool doesn’t absolve me of accountability.
Curious if others have noticed similar things. How do you talk about or work with LLMs and AI tools day-to-day?
